Good morning, we will continue to finish up September with documentaries on Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.  This time we will look at the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip.  It is called a Very Royal Wedding.  It is narrated by Alexander Armstrong.  The run time for this documentary is 47:54. There is nothing like a royal wedding.  It is something that brings the nation together. 

The royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip set the trend for royal weddings to come.  It was something that the British had never seen before.  This film looks at how their royal wedding was pulled off.  It happened at a time when a nation needed a moral boost.  So from the wedding dress to the bouquet and the flowers, one historian looks at how the state pulled off this royal wedding.  It was the marriage of a beautiful princess and a dashing prince.

The day had finally arrived.  It was November 20, 1947, and a princess and her father are being taken to the church in a carriage.  They were greeted by crowds.  Over 200 million people listened on the radio.  A small group was lucky enough to watch on television.  Prince Michael of Kent recalls the crowds and felt their energy. 

When Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip announced their engagement it caused a sensation.  Their courtship was conducted through letters over the war.  When their engagement was announced, it was clear that Prince Philip was not the only pin-up for Princess Elizabeth.  Prince Philip had the film star good looks and was considered a Greek god.  Prince Philip and Princess Elizabeth were the glamour couple of the decade.

Even though Prince Philip had blue blood, he did not have a bank account to back him up.  A bit of royal recycling had to take place and Prince Philip used his mother’s tiara to get prepare an engagement ring for his future bride.  Prince Philip designed the ring so that the Princess could wear it all the time.  Once engaged, the wedding planning began.  However, the government thought the nation could not afford the wedding.  Prime Minister Winston Churchill disagreed and felt the nation was due for a celebration.  It had been a hard road for Britain during World War II and recovery from World War II.  The royal family faced the hardships of World War II alongside the British people.

Every corner of the country pitched in to help with the wedding.  Women sent in their clothing coupons so that Princess Elizabeth could get a wedding dress.  However, Buckingham Palace returned the coupons.  There were rumors that the silkworms came from Japan, which was an enemy nation.  The public was assured that the silkworms came from China.  One of the silk weavers spoke about her pride in working on the material for the dress and had an invite to the Royal wedding.  The wedding dress design was kept under lock and key.  Normal Hartnell, the designer, blacked out his windows and kept his manager in the studio with a gun.  Betty Foster, a seamstress was one of the few people in on the secret.  She would sew the button holes for the dress and she had never sown button holes before.

What else needed to be accomplished before the big day?  Continue to watch this documentary to find out more.

This is a delightful documentary on the wedding of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.  I thoroughly enjoyed Alexander Armstrong’s narration; he brought a lightness to the film.  I also enjoyed hearing the stories from the people who witnessed those events from Prince Michael of Kent who was a page boy at the wedding to the silk weaver.  This would be something that would be fun showing in a history class.

I am scrambling to find documentaries on Queen Elizabeth II in light of her recent death.  I also rearranged things and Nations at War will resume in January 2023.  This time I found a documentary called Reign Supreme: The Unauthorized Story of Queen Elizabeth II.  This documentary is fast-paced in comparison to others that I have found.  The facts about Queen Elizabeth II’s life come quickly.  The run time for this documentary is 48:11.

Queen Elizabeth II is a symbol of stability and continuity in the United Kingdom.  She has weathered the storms of life.  She has witnessed the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.  At a young age, she was called on to lead an empire and served that empire.  The work of the monarchy increased under her leadership.  The monarchy evolved under her watch.
Queen Elizabeth II was born the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York.  Her parents were going to give her a normal upbringing.  So her parents raised her to understand the realities of a nation coming out of World War I.  At age eleven her grandfather died and her uncle became king.  When her uncle abdicated, her father became King she became second in line to the throne.  Then World War II happened and at age eighteen, she helped her father with his official duties.

When she was twenty-one, she traveled to Africa with her parents and declared that she would serve the people for her whole life.  After this trip, the royal family announced that she was going to marry Prince Philip.  Originally, the wedding was going to be low-key, but wedding fever struck the nation.  It became an international event, signaling a new era of the monarchy.  To make her wedding dress, she saved up her clothing coupons to have the wedding dress made.  The pair received over 2,000 wedding gifts.

Almost exactly one year after Prince Philip and Princess Elizabeth’s marriage, Prince Charles was born.  The birth of a male heir was greeted with celebrations.  Princess Anne came next, two years later.  However, King George’s health declined, so Princess Elizabeth was called on to carry out duties in his place.  She traveled to the United States where she was greeted by President Truman.  Princess Elizabeth spoke on behalf of her father.  She then went to Australia on another royal tour.  It was when she was in Kenya that she found out that her father had died.

She would return to England as Queen and she mourned her father in seclusion.  Then in 1952, she was officially crowned Queen.  Her coronation was the first coronation broadcasted all around the world on TV.  After she was crowned, Queen Elizabeth II went on a world tour as part of a “global charm offensive.”  The Coronation World Tour was to strengthen the ties of the empire.  She would have discovered that she was a popular figure in the Commonwealth.  She was the most widely traveled monarch in history and was the first monarch to circumnavigate the globe.  How will Queen Elizabeth II approach the rest of her reign?  What does television do to show the world the royal family?  Tune into the rest of this documentary to discover more.

This documentary was definitely no fuss, no frills.  It was fast and furious.  It was almost too fast at times, but I was able to follow along well.  The documentary provided the basics about the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II.  This documentary would provide students with a good start in researching Queen Elizabeth II.  I also would show this documentary in the classroom.

Good morning, we are continuing to explore the life of Queen Elizabeth.  I am going to continue with Elizabeth II’s documentaries until the end of September and then will move on to the Thirty-One Days of Time Team.  This documentary looks at the marriage of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II and is in honor of their Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary.  The run time for this documentary is 49:28.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip fell in love with Prince Philip when he was thirteen years old and they started exchanging letters.  Eight years later they would marry and would be married in Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947.  They were one of the most glamorous couples at the time.  They were married while rationing was taking place and the British public lapped up the joyful celebrations.  So, what was their marriage like?

Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth’s love story is one for the ages.  She was in love with Prince Philip since she was thirteen years old.  After their wedding, Prince Philip returned to the navy and so Princess Elizabeth was able to enjoy life as a naval wife.  A year after they were married Prince Charles joined the family.  Two years later, Princess Anne joined the family as well.  They were able to secure the succession with the birth of both children. 

Unfortunately, the King’s health deteriorated.  So Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip had to take on more and more of his duties.  When he suddenly passed away, his family was devastated by the news.  Both Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth had to adjust to their roles.  Elizabeth had to adjust to her role as Queen and Prince Philip had to adjust to his role as her consort.  They went on their first royal tour together.  They now how had to adjust to public life.

They could relax as a family together in Balmoral.  There they were treated like locals and they had family outings.  However, Queen Elizabeth had to go about her business to be Queen.  She has barely had a break during her time as Queen.  Prince Philip remained stalwart support at her side over the decades. 

Together, at the Queen’s Golden Jubilee she acknowledged the support that Prince Philip had given her during the years of her reign.  When Princess Margaret wanted to marry Peter Townsend, it proved to be one of the challenges that Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth had to navigate together.  It would have been the first time that the public felt the need to comment on the private life of the royals.  Princess Margaret had been struggling with the loss of her father, and Peter Townsend was a shoulder to cry on.  The Queen Mother continued to work in public instead of retiring in the shadows.  Even Prince Philip knew better than to interfere with the bond between Princess Margaret, the Queen, and the Queen Mother.

One thing revealed about the Queen is that she has a thrifty nature.  She always carefully unwrapped her wrapping paper and saved it.  Prince Philip was the boss in the home.  Queen Elizabeth was the boss of the country, so Prince Philip would be the boss in the home.  To learn more about the marriage between Prince Philip and the Queen continue to watch this documentary.

Well, for a documentary on the Queen and Prince Philip’s marriage, the filmmakers seemed to focus too much on the relationship between the Queen and her mother and her sister.  There was no point in talking about those relationships.  This would be one documentary to skip for both the history classroom and for research purposes.
 

Good morning, we are continuing to explore the life of Queen Elizabeth.  Today we are looking at the relationship between Elizabeth and Margaret.  The documentary is called Elizabeth and Margaret: The Tale of Two Sisters.  The run time for this documentary is 43:56.

No two sisters were ever less alike.  One sister was reserved and the other lively.  One was the leader of the nation.  The other was looking for purpose.  They each had to carve a different path in life.  Elizabeth and Margaret are among the most photographed women in history.  However, what lies underneath the relationship between the two sisters?  This documentary explores the relationship between Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret.

From the start, the contrast between Elizabeth and Margaret was there.  The Duke of Duchess of York were their parents.  Elizabeth was a serious child who shared a love of horses and dogs with her grandfather, the King of England.  Princess Margaret was cheekier and had an outgoing personality.  She was never corrected by her father.  While Elizabeth had a natural discipline.  Neither girl could foresee the future nor were they prepared for what was to come.  The Duke and Duchess of York never expected to become King and Queen.  It was also a possibility they could produce a male heir.  They were going to have a cozy family life.

However, Prince David was expected to be king.  He was to marry and have children who would inherit the throne.  In 1936, everything changed.  King George died and David became King Edward VIII.  He was a man who never wanted to be king and was also set on marrying an American Divorcee.  The King would abdicate his throne in favor of his younger brother the Duke of York.  It was a shock to the nation and the nation would have seen it as a dereliction of duty.

The lives of Elizabeth and Margaret were transformed by abdication.  Elizabeth would immediately start training to be the monarch.  King George would have become King without the training his older brother had.  He would not allow the same thing to happen to Elizabeth.  Princess Elizabeth would have been taught by a professor and King George would have explained the dispatch boxes to her.  Here is where the upbringing of Elizabeth and Margaret diverged.  Elizabeth was being groomed to be Queen, and Margaret was being groomed to be a wife.

Then World War II started and Elizabeth and Margaret were evacuated to Windsor.  The Queen was not going to leave the King and the girls were not going to leave their mother.  The image of the family being together was a powerful image for the British public.  It stood in contrast to the images that were coming out of Germany.  They would spend five years in Windsor Castle.  As the war progressed, Princess Elizabeth took on more and more responsibilities.  She would eventually become a mechanic and driver at the age of eighteen in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Corps.  Princess Elizabeth loved her time in the Women’s Auxiliary, and she also fell in love with Prince Philip.

The paths of Elizabeth and Margaret were going to continue to diverge over the years.  Elizabeth would be seen as the steady one and Margaret was the rebel.  How would the pair continue to navigate changing times?  To discover how their paths would diverge and continue throughout their lives. 

This was an excellent documentary highlighting the relationship between Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret.  It was well done and I enjoyed the tidbits about their relationship.  This would be a good documentary for a fun history day and for research purposes.

Good morning, I am still working on rearranging blogs for the foreseeable future to share documentaries on Queen Elizabeth II.  I know I probably could just continue in October with Nations at War, but I am going to do a fall edition of 31-Days of Time Team.  I do not want to interrupt that so Nations at War will be finished off in January.  I will check out the DW Channel and look at a documentary they produced about Queen Elizabeth.  This documentary is called Queen Elizabeth II and Britain’s Leaders.  The run time for this documentary is 42:52.

Once a week, the British Prime Ministers are bound to meet the Queen.  Details of these meetings have not been revealed.  The Queen has met fourteen Prime Ministers during her reign.  Even though she was at the heart of political life in England, the Queen followed a policy of silence.  She never spoke about her politics or gave a politically charged opinion.  This documentary talks about her relationship with the Prime Ministers.

The first Prime Minister she met was Winston Channel.  She was friends with Harold Wilson.  She witnessed the first female Prime Minister: Margaret Thatcher.  In the 1990’s she had to deal with Tony Blair.  Neither Boris Johnson nor David Cameron was born when she had her first audience in 1952.  Even though they are the leaders of Politics in Britain, the Prime Minister still has to bow the knee to someone higher than them.  During these meetings, the Queen merely sat back and listen, sometimes asking questions of the Prime Minister.  The Queen was well prepared for the meetings with the Prime Minister.

During her youth, she spent many happy years in the countryside.  One of the secrets to the Queen’s success as queen, she was never meant to be queen.  She had a sense of duty and reverence for the monarchy, learned at her grandfather’s knee.  When he died and was succeeded by Edward VIII, her world was turned upside down.  When Edward VIII abdicated, he was succeeded by his brother, Queen Elizabeth’s father, King George.  Suddenly the young princess was next in line for the throne. 

During World War II, she witnessed the closeness of the King to his people and at twenty-one announce that she was going to devote her life to the service to the people.  When her father died, duty called and she became Queen.  She was coronated sixteen months after her father’s death, however, she worked behind the scenes to prepare for her coronation.  Her first meeting as Queen was with Prime Minister Winston Churchill.  He had known her all his life and he had a deep respect for the Queen.  He had decades of experience over the Queen.  Even though they were friends, they both had differences in opinion.  Churchill wanted to keep the empire together by force, but Elizabeth thought it would be better to travel.  She would travel to keep in touch with the Empire, which Churchill turned his nose at.

It took years for Elizabeth to settle down into being Queen.  She opens Parliament in grand ceremonies, reading the speech the Prime Minister wrote.  She makes forty-three state visits in the early years of her reign.  She is the most important diplomat and ambassador.  Additionally, she is a Queen who is witnessing many changes in cultural and political life.  The modern age was in full swing and the Queen would be required to navigate these changes.  To learn more about the Prime Ministers the Queen has met during her seventy years on the throne, continue to watch this documentary.

Wow, wow, wow, this is a well-done documentary about the Queen and the Prime Ministers.  This would be a documentary I would show in the classroom.

I am going to interrupt Nations at War due to the Death of Queen Elizabeth II.  It took a lot of thinking, but I feel the need to share documentaries on Queen Elizabeth II in tribute to her life and service as Queen.  I will probably resume Nations at War in January 2023. Today’s documentary is Queen Elizabeth: A Lifetime of Service.  The run time of this documentary is 49:48.

This documentary on the Queen has an old-school feel to it.  Queen Elizabeth has reigned longer than any British Monarch (yes, this documentary came out during the Diamond Jubilee) and in sixty years she witnessed many changes to the world and to the royal family.  Over her reign, she traveled over a million miles and made over 250 foreign visits.  She strives to strengthen the ties among the Commonwealth Nations.  So this is a documentary about the highs and lows of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

In 2006, a service of thanksgiving was made in honor of the Queen’s Eightieth Birthday.  The crowds greeted her to share their thanks for her service.  Years before the monarch’s popularity took a hit with the death of Princess Diana.  Things changed, and Queen Elizabeth wanted to have a more personal touch on the monarch.  The divorces in the royal family would have given her a shock.  She would have overseen changes in society as well as the technology that came into the world.  When she had her coronation, hers was the first to be broadcasted on TV.

The first part of the documentary talks about the relationship and marriages of Prince Charles and Prince Andrew and how those marriages ended in divorce.  Then this documentary talks about her relationship with her niece and her nephew.  I felt like if the filmmakers wanted to talk about these relationships, they could have been saved for the end and given a cursory look.  There was a fire at Windsor Castle that upset the Queen and it was her favorite home. 

She was one of the most widely traveled monarchs in history.  She also welcomed world leaders into her home during the State Banquets.  She grasps foreign affairs really well.  She is the head of state in Australia and it was the first visit she made when she was Queen.  Her popularity in Australia stops the republic movement in its tracks.  What else did Queen Elizabeth face during her reign?  If you want to finish this documentary continue to watch the documentary.

Man, it was annoying to see so much of the focus on the documentary about Camilla and Charles.  Come on, it is a documentary on the Queen, it is not a documentary on Charles and Camilla.  Devoting ten minutes to that relationship was completely unnecessary.  Also, there was no need to rehash the reaction to Princess Diana’s death, after all this was a documentary about the Queen and how she navigated changes.  I really wish the documentary filmmakers would have focused more on the life of Queen Elizabeth instead of the relationships of her children.

The documentary was dumb many times.  It was stupid for them to focus so much on Diana’s death and the public reaction to the death.  This documentary was hard to watch at times because of the rabbit holes the filmmakers went down.  However, I wanted to find as many documentaries as I could find on Queen Elizabeth in honor of her death, so I was stuck doing this one while I looked.  This is a documentary I would NOT show in a classroom setting nor is it good for research purposes.

I am going to interrupt Nations at War due to the Death of Queen Elizabeth II.  It took a lot of thinking, but I feel the need to share documentaries on Queen Elizabeth II.  As of right now, I am planning on moving Nations at War to the start of 2023 because of themes for October, November, and December but that may change.  Everything is fluid right now with the announcement of the Queen’s death.  Today’s documentary was shown during the celebrations of the Platinum Jubilee and is called the Majestic Life of Queen Elizabeth II.  It has a runtime of 1:34:39.

Queen Elizabeth’s life was shaped by a life of service.  As a princess, she never expected to be Queen.  However, was thrust into the spotlight.  This documentary highlights her life and her family and the three events that shaped her life.  The Depression, the Abdication, and World War II.  She trained as a mechanic during World War II.  She would meet the love of her life and would raise four children.  She was a steady figure for seventy years of history.  This documentary gives a look at the life of Queen Elizabeth II.

When Queen Elizabeth was a little princess, she never expected to be Queen.  She lived a normal, but grand life.  She was the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York.  She would have grown up with a reverence for the Crown and Duty.  While she was growing up, the Royal Family was not expected to do much and so could disappear to Scotland for several months.  Her family was incredibly close and they were homebodies.  She was brought up as an aristocratic young lady and would have been taught at home.  Eventually, a professor from Eton College was brought in to teach her about the Constitution. 

Her parents would have been more in touch with the real world.  The Depression was going on when she was growing up and her father would have visited the work camps.  Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was in touch with the times and when Buckingham Palace was bombed the Queen Mother remarked “at least I can now look the east end in the eye.”
Princess Elizabeth was close to Princess Margaret.  Princess Elizabeth never did anything naughty nor was she daring.  Princess Margaret was the more boisterous one.  Eventually, the family was thrust into the spotlight with the abdication.  It was a terrible shock to them all. 

The Duke of York was to become King.  The documentary then talks about the reign of her father and how he got treatment for his stammer.  It is here where Lionel Logue is mentioned for helping him get over his stammer. 

Princess Elizabeth would have witnessed the start of World War II.  She would have seen her father’s devotion to duty while under trying circumstances.  She adored her father and worked to follow his example.  She took part in the World War II victory celebrations. 

She would meet Prince Philip when he was a dashing naval cadet.  Prince Philip would have been considered a Greek god in the Princess’s eyes.  They would keep in touch and she kept a photo of him with a beard.  By 1946 they were in love with each other and planned to marry.  Both would have been considered young to marry.  She would marry her prince and it was a dazzling wedding.  It came at a time of austerity and so Great Britain needed a celebration.

The next section of the documentary goes into the early married life of Prince Phillips and Princess Elizabeth.  While getting settled into married life, she got the news that she was Queen.  Then there is a discussion on how young the Queen was when she became Queen.  Thus begins the reign of one of Britain’s longest-reigning monarchs.  She would have been reigning during a period of great change.  How would a royal family, especially a young queen manage these changes?  Her coronation would have been the first one to be broadcasted on TV.  To learn more about Queen Elizabeth, continue to watch this documentary.

This is an interesting document about the life of Queen Elizabeth.  If you wanted to show this in a classroom, you would want to break it up into smaller pieces because it is a long documentary.  This is a good look into the life of Queen Elizabeth.

 Good morning, we will continue with the series Nations at War.  The first part of the episode focuses on the Cree and their last stand.  In the second half of the episode, the terrain of North America is explored and how it shaped warfare and alliances between the First Nations.

It is the 1870’s, and the Canadian west has been transformed.  The buffalo, which head fed the first nations were in trouble.  IT started with the discovery of Hudson Bay.  This vast body of water connected the west to the rest of the world.  Explorers could take these rivers and explore the wilderness.  The British took advantage of these waterways and made connections with the Cree.  The Cree were part of the Canadian wilderness.  They became the ultimate middlemen in trade with the Hudson Bay Company.  For over 200 they guided the fur traders.

The Cree became part of a global economy.  They had access to guns, horses, and manufactured goods.  However, this success bred enemies.  The Blackfoot Confederacy rose to challenge the Cree dominance.  However, the Cree had their allies and created the Iron Confederacy.  These two confederacies would shape the politics of Western Canada.

The more the Cree traded, the more British influence grew.  In 1812, the first British settlement was built and this would have a huge impact on the Cree.  The buffalo, the most important food source of the plains, nearly vanished.  This devastated the First Nations.  Their old partnership with the Hudson Bay Company was no help.  When Canada was formed, the politicians had big plans for the land and they did not include the Cree.

Rather than subjecting the First Nations, the Canadian government tried to work with the first nations and created treaties with the people.  These treaties would put the First Nations on preserves and the government would feed them.  The Cree had no choice but to accept these terms, the people were starving.  They had to learn how to farm.  Even though the Cree tried to adapt to Canadian ways, they were still shut out of the system.  This bred resentment among the Cree and they wanted to make the government in Ottawa pay.  Tensions rose and finally reached a boiling point.  The region was at war and the Cree attacked Fort Battleford.  Frog Lake was attacked.  This attack would backfire on the Cree.  The Canadian Government would answer these attacks with force.  So how would the Cree come out of these struggles with the Canadian Government?  The Cree eventually attacked and destroyed another fort.  How would the Canadian government respond?  Tune into the rest of this episode to find out.

In the 1600s, Europeans started settling in North America.  They wanted to form good trading relationships with the First Nations.  The French built a good relationship with the first nations and were able to form the colony of Acadia.  However, the Jamestown colony would not enjoy a good relationship with the first nations.  The settlers did not accept the authority of the Chief and conflicts ensued.  The Colony of Virginia was finally established which would end these conflicts.  These conflicts with the First Nations taught them some hard lessons and to learn what those lessons were continue to watch this episode.
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It would have been interesting to hear how the Blackfeet and Cree Confederacies shaped the politics of the Canadian west.  The second part on the Jamestown and the colonies was interesting and would be a good section to show in a classroom.  So far, this series has had some bright spots, however, I am finding myself disappointed as I continue to watch these episodes. 

Nations at War continues with the story of Metis and the Highland Scotts.  The first half of the episode starts in Canada and it is 1885.  Canada is expanding and the people are looking west to move.  These people want to find a better life in the west.  These people run into the Metis people and the Metis are not going to back down when challenged.
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In 1867, the British Empire had only four colonies in Canada.  Less than 20 years later, Canada tripled in size through land purchases from the Hudson Bay Company.  The first nations had called these lands home.  They traded with the Europeans.  Eventually, these two groups came together and the Metis was born.  The Metis were the descendants of First Nations and Scottish or French people.  They were both farmers and hunters.  When the missionaries came in they disapproved of these marriages between the fur traders and the indigenous people.

When Hudson Bay sold their lands to the Canadian government, the Metis' land deeds were threatened.  The Metis lived between two worlds.  They were neither first nation nor white enough for either group.  They were trapped.  Despite this, the Metis planned to protect their land.  A council was formed to negotiate with the government in Ottawa and Louis Riel was appointed leader.  Louis Riel returned from Montreal after a failed engagement.  He returned home and worked to protect his people and his people’s land. 

Louis Riel and his men attacked a fort.  One man was killed.  The Ottawa government was placed between a rock in a hard place.  There was no major army to speak of, so the Metis were able to get what they want.  The Metis were allowed into Canada as the province of Manitoba.  However, the English Canadians wanted Riel’s head.  Riel went into exile.  Unfortunately, as time passed, the Metis felt threatened again.  The Metis had moved from Manitoba and moved into adjoining territories.

A group of Metis traveled to Montana to find the exiled Riel.  They needed him to lead the Metis again.  The survival of the Metis nation was under threat.  Riel went back to Canada and railed the people again.  The Canadian government initiated a census and counted the Metis.  The Metis rose against the Canadian Government at Duck Lake.  To prevent a massacre Louis Riel stepped in.  He was a peacemaker and not a warrior.  Could Riel negotiate a peaceful surrender between the Metis and the Canadian government?  What would happen to the Metis after this rebellion?

The second half of the series looks at the fur trade and how administrative centers were created.  Wars broke out between the French and the British for supremacy of the Canadian fur trade.  This episode goes further into the Hudson Bay Company.  They were the most powerful company in North America.  Not only did they highlight the fur trade, but they also highlighted the pemican trade.  To continue to learn more about the Metis watch this episode. 

It would have been nice to hear more about the Metis culture and how that emerged.  Why did they adopt the infinity flag?  How was the Metis confederation adopted?  I would have liked to have learned more about the Hudson Bay Company and how they owned so much land in Canada?  It also seemed that the episodes were either put together or aired out of order.   The episode should have led up with the Hudson Bay Company and then put the Metis rebellion second.  If I was a teacher, I would show the Hudson Bay Company section first and then show the Metis rebellion second.

Nations at War: this is a series about the First Nations.  It is hosted by David Lyle.  David starts this series by announcing that it is the Eighteenth Century and the world is more connected.  This documentary weaves the tales of the first nations, how they each had a quest for power, resources, and survival.  Even though these First Nations were different, history seems to indicate that the First Nations had plenty of things in common.  Alliances were formed, conflicts came, nations grew and fell.  The Timeline YouTube Channel had put together two episodes into one episode.
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This episode starts at the Pacific Northwest and the Haida people.  Haida people were connected to the ocean like the Maori people.  The Haida creation story goes like this, a raven was traveling along the coast and saw some strange creatures.  He cajoled these creatures to come out of the shadows.  These creatures were the first men.

The Haida nation lived on over 150 islands and 20,000 people lived there.  They lived in communities dominated by chiefs.  The chiefs found their power on the battlefield and the potlach.  The chiefs could demonstrate their wealth by giving gifts to their friends.  The Haida people lived apart from other nations.  The straights that separated them from the coast were a churning sea.  Eventually, the Haida people would create ocean-going canoes.  These canoes could take the waves and the rocks along their homeland.  Some of these canoes could hold up to 50 to 60 people.  The people used their canoes for fishing and war-making.
The Haida built fleets of war canoes.  Much like the Vikings, they could strike without warning.  The people of the coastlines learned to live in fear.  The raiding parties were led by a medicine man who encouraged them on.  The Haida warriors wore armor, they had thick hide tunics and wore helmets.  This armor protected them.  They were armed with a war club and daggers. 

The people of the coast developed their ways to protect against the Haida raiders.  They used signal fires, palisades, and lookouts.  The Haida became rich through raiding and appreciated the power that wealth brought.  Eventually, the Haida met with Europeans.  The Europeans and Haida started to trade with each other.  Then the Spanish started coming looking to convert the people.

Eventually, the Haida would try to play all sides.  They were primed to become wealthy because of the demand for pelts.  Unfortunately, the cordial relations turned sour.  Bloodshed would eventually come to both the traders and the Haida people.  Using their skills on the sea, the Haida destroyed naval vessels.  Even though there was bloodshed on both sides, trade still flourished.  Eventually, the Haida asked for guns and they used their guns on the battlefield.  Some leaders got cannons and they would mount them on their canoes.

The Haida grew in power and influence.  Unfortunately, with that growth, the Haida would lose their most valuable trade resource.  Eventually, the Haida population would collapse due to disease.  Dozens of villages were abandoned.  The Haida had to accept British rule.

The second half of the episode concludes with the Canyon Fraser War and to learn more about this war continue to watch this episode.

Each episode of Nations at War runs about 22-23 minutes.  Timeline had put two episodes together to make one long episode.  This is one series I had high hopes for.  Based on first impressions: even though these are episodes short enough for the classroom, this series would have been better served with longer episodes.  At the end of the Haida episode, I felt that the Haida story was incomplete.  I would have like to have seen more Haida sites and I would have liked the narrator to have gone to these sites in person.  Talk about the artwork that was important to the Haida people.  The Canyon Fraser War is one episode I would skip.  Hopefully, I will get a better impression as the series continues.